Hidden love letters
by SLs-short-words
Summary: Short Sethummer fluff set after The Mallpisode.


Short fluff set after The Mallpisode. Thanks for the interest and reviews.

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the O.C. No characters, shows, episodes, etc, etc.

* * *

**Hidden love letters**

"Explain to me again why I'm helping you with this? I don't even help my mother with this stuff if I can get out of it."

Summer sighed as she dropped a box of clothes on one of the tables. She looked over at Seth as he lay down a few hats next to her box. "You're helping me because you want to. Besides, it's for a good cause. You should be happy to be helping a good cause."

"I spent an evening locked up in a mall with you mad at me. I think I've given up enough for the cause, thank you very much." He grabbed one of the hats he had been carrying a few moments earlier, and pulled it down over her head, smiling when she squirmed to try to get out of it.

"You can't blame the cause for me getting mad at you. That was all your fault and your no-good jealousy." She sighed loudly. "This is important."

"This is important? Since when have you been a cheerleader for the philanthropic efforts of Newport Beach?"

"Cohen," her hand travelled down to her hip and he could automatically tell he was in trouble. Whatever argument she was going to come up with next, he was best to simply agree if only for self-preservation. "This is about clothes. People have no clothes. Now I might not lift a finger if they have no sports equipment, if they can't go to private school or if they live in Chino, but they have no clothes. That's just wrong."

"I like it when you have no clothes, Summer."

"You're already in trouble, Cohen. Don't add to it by trying to be charming. Go grab another box."

"The boxes are pretty heavy, Summer."

"Why don't you go find out where Coop and Atwood are. I could use the muscle."

Seth nodded, already taking his cell phone out of his pocket as he judged that it would weigh a lot less than anything that was left to carry in. "Ryan is used to moving stuff."

"And Coop has been getting tougher lately."

"All right, I'm stronger than Marissa." Seth's eyes suddenly lost their focus on Summer as he listened to the person on the other end of his telephone. "What? Yes, I am stronger than Marissa. Whatever. Just get over here. We need some help moving stuff… Yes, I know it's just clothes. But there's a lot of it, and a lot of clothes is heavy, Ryan… Fine. See you in a few."

"Where were they?"

"Don't know, but they're on their way now."

"Great, in the meantime…" Summer moved forward until she could push her hands against Seth's chest. "More boxes, Cohen."

* * *

"Summer!"

"Hey Kirsten. Are you here to see Seth or Ryan?"

"Uh, neither, though I'm happy to know they're both here. I'm actually here to drop off some clothes."

"Great. That's what we're looking for." Summer moved forward quickly, trying to hide her embarrassment at having missed the fact that her boyfriend's mother was accompanied by two big boxes she had dropped at her feet.

"I had asked Seth to go through his clothes and leave out on his bed whatever he wouldn't wear anymore. I hope he did. Otherwise, I've just brought you my son's dirty clothes."

Summer nodded as she opened one of the boxes to look over the clothes. "If you wanted someone to go through Cohen's closet, you could have asked me. I would be happy to rid him of a few sweaters, stripes and slogans that aren't exactly cutting edge."

"Well, while at times I almost do prefer you, Summer, Seth is still my son, and I unfortunately want to make him happy no matter what. I wouldn't want to accidentally take away his favourite sweater, God forbid."

"He is pretty anal about his sweaters." Summer nodded slowly. "I'm sure this is fine. He's got so much clothes, I doubt he notices. I'm not even sure I've ever seen him wear the same thing twice."

"We could say that about a lot of people in Newport."

Summer nodded as she lifted another shirt from the box and scrunched her nose at it.

"Well, since I'm here, I might as well go say hi to the boys."

"They're out back."

"Thanks, Summer. By the way, I think it's great that you're doing this." Kirsten patted Summer gently on the back as she moved slowly toward the direction where she could apparently find her sons. "Which makes me wonder, how exactly did you get Seth and Ryan to help out with this? I have to drag Seth anywhere remotely related to the Newpsies or the equivalent high schoolers."

Summer's mouth opened and closed a few times as she searched for the right words. She shrugged sheepishly.

"You know what," Kirsten reached out her hand to stop any words that might eventually come out. "I just remembered how I convince Sandy to come to these things, so just don't tell me. I've already had to deal today with the realisation that I no longer dress my son, I don't need anything more." She smiled quickly and offered a small wave. "Bye, Summer."

Summer shook her head as she watched Kirsten walk off.

Fathers, fathers were her specialty. Mothers, she did the best she could. Though she had to admit that she and Kirsten got along very well considering all the rocky times she and Seth had been through, not to mention the fact that she had ignored Seth for more years than she could remember.

She pulled out a few more items from the box, folding them and checking the pockets of the items that she knew were Seth's. On the fourth pair of chinos she was folding, she was surprised to actually find something in the pocket. Her eyes narrowed when she got a better look at what she'd found. She did what she could to control her anger. If she was going to have a rage blackout, she much preferred it be while the culprit was around.

* * *

"That just hurts," Seth complained as he let himself fall back on Summer's bed. He closed his eyes despite the fact that he knew his girlfriend was changing just a few feet away from him. That was how exhausted he was. His girlfriend was changing just a few feet away from him, and he wasn't watching because that would have required turning his head.

"Aw," Summer sympathised as she moved toward the bed. "Poor baby. You actually did some lifting today, didn't you?"

"And some moving of tables, and some sorting, and putting away chairs and—"

"You worked really hard."

"Yep," Seth yawned. "And all for you. So you better believe that I'm expecting some kind of reward for all my hard work."

"Well you deserve some kind of reward."

Seth grinned, his eyes still closed as he let Summer's voice let him know where she was in the room. She had been slowly moving closer and closer to him, and if the weight of her stare over him was correct, she was right abo—

"Ow. Jeez, ouch, Summer! Knock it off." As much as it pained him to do so, Seth leapt off the bed after the eighth or ninth blow from his girlfriend. He stood a few feet away from her, rubbing his arms. "What did I do?"

"What did you do? You have the nerve to ask me what you did?"

Seth opened his mouth to talk, then stopped quickly. He thought about it for a moment and finally decided that he truly didn't have any idea what it was he had done wrong. "I'm sorry?"

"About?"

"Do I really have to play this game?"

Summer sighed loudly and threw something at him. Seth came nowhere near catching it, and winced when he had to bend down to grab the piece of paper. He lifted it and managed to get it open after a few tries.

"Ah. You saw that, did you?"

"Yeah, I saw that."

"Great." Seth nodded a few times. "I'm sorry."

"Cohen! How could you get all insane about a postcard I got from Italy that barely says anything at all, when you're getting love letters from Anna."

"It's not a love letter."

"Semantics."

"I'm sorry, all right? I really am. I just… where did you get this?"

"Pocket of a pair of pants your mother donated to the clothing drive."

"My pants?" he asked with the beginning of panic in his voice at the thought of his clothes being taken from him.

"Cohen."

"I'm sorry." Seth moved forward, reaching for Summer's hands. He let the letter drop to the floor to grab hold of her when she tried to evade him. "I really am. I got it just yesterday. It must have been lost in the mail or something. I didn't have it when I saw Zach's postcard."

"That doesn't make it right. You know how I feel about you and Anna, and you're carrying this around?"

Seth sat down on her bed, pulling her along with him. "I thought you and Anna were getting along when she left."

"We were until you all but abandoned me for her. She's everything I'm not Cohen, and you know I don't like to feel insecure."

"And you have no reason to feel insecure." Seth leaned in to kiss her forehead. "I was just so happy to get that letter. Did you read it?"

"No, and you're not convincing me that I should either."

"I was so happy because it is so clear that she's happy in Pittsburgh, which makes it so clear that she didn't leave because of me."

Summer shook her head at him. "You are so con—"

"Conceited, yeah I know. But I am, and I didn't want to be the guy who had driven the cool new girl out of the state. I had like, four friends, Summer. I didn't want to believe that I could drive one away."

"Fine," Summer sighed. "I guess you're forgiven."

"Without a big romantic gesture or a few punches or anything?"

"I got my punches in. Besides, I'm too tired to fight with you. Anna's far away. You're not in love with her."

"I'm not in love with her."

"And you're spending all day Sunday cleaning up after the clothes drive."

"And I'm… wait, what?"

Summer raised an eyebrow at him, her eyes growing colder.

"And I'm spending all day Sunday cleaning up after the clothes drive."

"Great." She kissed him quickly on the lips before diving toward her pillows. "Now shut up because I am exhausted."

"You know," Seth told her as he followed her to the head of the bed. "Kisses are nice but I like it a lot better when you shut me up by taking your shirt off."

"I'm sure you do, Cohen."

Seth smiled as he watched her close her eyes and shift her body so she was facing him, lying on her side.

"But this'll do," he told her, moving forward until his lips met hers.


End file.
